TOPOFF

Abstract

Mandated by the U. S. Congress to evaluate the nation's crisis and consequence management under duress, the Department of Justice engaged key emergency management personnel to prepare senior government officials to respond to an actual terrorist attack involving weapons of mass destruction, gauge preparedness, and identify areas in need of improvement. The exercise, know as TOPOFF (top officials), was a national level, multiagency, multijurisdictional, no notice simulation addressing three fictional events in three major cities: a chemical event in Portsmouth, New Hampshire; a radiological event in Washington, D. C.; and a biological weapons attack in Denver, Colorado. This article provides an overview of TOPOFF with specific attention paid to the biological weapons scenario. Key observations and lessons learned are noted.